SpongeBob episode removed due to Covid-19 similarities
At least two episodes of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ have been pulled from the streaming channel Paramount+ due to “inappropriate elements,” including a “panty raid” and a Krusty Krab lockdown resembling the pandemic.
Both ‘Mid-Life Crustacean,’ a 2002 episode in which Mr. Krabs experiences a mid-life crisis, and ‘Kwarantined Krab,’ a 2019 episode in which the Krusty Krab is quarantined to contain a case of ‘Clam Flu,’ was inaccessible on the Paramount+ subscription channel, which acts as the digital hub for all Nickelodeon programming as well as other ViacomCBS assets.
Thanks to a scene in which SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs go on a “panty raid,” rummaging through a woman’s underwear closet, which turns out to belong to Mr. Krabs’ mum, ‘Mid-Life Crustacean’ was removed from the streaming channel.
Even more surprisingly, ‘Kwarantined Krab’ has been recalled from the market due to correlations with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Nickelodeon spokeswoman, because the plot “centers on a virus storyline,” they “have decided not to air it due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic.” The spokesperson also reported the elimination of ‘Mid-Life Crustacean’ due to “certain plot aspects” not being “child-appropriate,” but clarified that it had been out of general circulation since 2018.
According to the SpongeBob encyclopaedia, despite being billed as the “Complete Twelfth Season,” ‘Kwarantined Krab’ was also excluded from the new season 12 DVD boxset released in January. Not only has Paramount+ purged older content for fear of upsetting audiences now, but it is not the only subscription channel to do so. Disney+ recently made some classic films, including ‘The Aristocats,’ ‘Dumbo,’ and ‘Peter Pan,’ unavailable to children on the network, although other vintage Disney films, such as the 1946’s ‘Song of the South,’ are entirely absent due to obsolete racist themes and stereotypes.
